It was a three-peat in the saddle bronc riding at the Franklin Rodeo.
For the third consecutive year, Kody Rinehart won the saddle bronc riding at the rodeo, which took place at the Williamson Co. Ag Expo Park last weekend.
He scored 83.5 points on the J Bar J Rodeo horse Muddy Boy to pocket $1,951.
The Rienzi, Mississippi, cowboy had a little back knowledge on the horse, an 11-year-old bay and white paint gelding.
“I saw a couple of videos on him and knew he might rare out pretty hard,” Rinehart said, “and he did. I was hoping to not get behind on him right of the chute, and he did smash me a little bit, but I picked him up and went to him. I knew I had to go as hard as I could, to try to win it.”
The win has come at an opportune time. His season hasn’t been the smoothest, having not done well at some of the big winter rodeos and having equipment failures.
“Honestly it’s been a pretty rough season so far. I went to some of the big winter rodeos (including Denver and Ft. Worth, Texas), and I stubbed my toes on some good horses.” Then Rinehart’s saddle broke in March, and breaking in a new saddle takes time.
“It took me about a month to get used to a new saddle. In the bronc riding, our saddle is so important, and when you get a new one, you need to sit in it and get comfortable. Watch TV in it, get used to it.”
The Franklin Rodeo gives its champions a unique award: Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel lids, engraved with the name of the rodeo and the champion’s name.
On last year’s whiskey barrel, his second one, he had “back-to-back” engraved on it. This year, he’ll give it to a friend.
“Me and Dusty (Myers, this year’s Franklin Rodeo clown) are best friends, and Dusty said, if I win it this time, he gets it, so I’m going to get it specially customized for Dusty, to hang in his office.”
Rinehart loves the Franklin Rodeo.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite rodeos, and I’m so thankful for it. The committee is so good, and they work so hard.”
In the bareback riding, a Louisiana cowboy got the win.
Waylon Bourgeois scored 84.5 points on the J Bar J Rodeo horse Western Feel to win a check for $1,906, a Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrel lid, and the title.
It was an early birthday present for the Church Point, Louisiana, cowboy, who turned 25 earlier this week.
Bourgeois is ranked in the top 25 in the PRCA world standings, the highest he’s ever been. The top 15 in the standings, by the end of September, qualify to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the PRCA’s world championships.
He has a strategy for the summer rodeo run, which is about to kick off, the busiest time of the rodeo year.
“I’ll just do my job, take one horse at a time, and try not to let them slip by. I want to make the most of every ride. You get caught up in going to rodeos, and I want to go out there, have fun and not take anything for granted. That’s my plan, to go have fun.”
Bourgeois made his first trip to Franklin to compete in 2019, traveling with his college rodeo coach Justin Browning, also a bareback rider. He was in awe of the big horses J Bar J Rodeo is known for. “I was still young, just starting riding, and coming to get on these big J Bar J horses, they’ll intimidate you,” he laughed. “But it was fun.”
Other champions from the Franklin Rodeo are steer wrestler Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Georgia (3.8 seconds); tie-down roper Andrew Burks, Kiln, Mississippi (8.3 seconds); team ropers Clint Wallace, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Jace McDaniel, Jonesboro, Arkansas (4.6 seconds); barrel racer Sally Young, Micanopy, Florida (17.12 seconds); and bull rider Jace Trosclair, Chauvin, Louisiana (87).
Next year’s rodeo will be held May 15-17. The rodeo is produced by the Franklin Noon Rotary Club, and since it began in 1949, has put its proceeds toward local and international charities. It has raised several million dollars for local and international charities.
Results, Franklin Rodeo, May 16-18, 2024
All-Around champion: Justin Thigpen, steer wrestling and tie-down roping
Bareback riding
1. Waylon Bourgeois, Church Point, La. 84.5 points on J Bar J’s Western Feel; 2. Jacob Raine, Mt Pleasant, Tenn. 83.5; 3. Jason Wilson, Bennington, Vermont 82; 4. Tanner Phipps, Dalton, Georgia 80; 5. (tie) Andy Gingerich, Aberdeen, S.D. and Stetson Bierman, Hidalgo, Ill. 79 each; 7. (tie) Luke Thrash, Bastrop, La. and Mason Ortego, St. Francisville, La. 78 each.
Steer wrestling
1. Justin Thigpen, Waycross, Ga. 3.8 seconds; 2. (tie) Ben Kilburg, La Motte, Iowa and Mose Fleming, Kissimmee, Fla. 4.3 each; 4. (tie) Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa and Juan Alcazar, Okeechobee, Fla. 4.4 each; 6. John Manson, North Ft. Myers, Fla. 4.5; 7. Cord Spradley, Hoboken, Ga. 4.9; 8. Josh Hefner, Knoxville, Tenn. 5.0.
Team roping
1. Clint Wallace, Little Rock, Ark./Jace McDaniel, Jonesboro, Ark. 4.6 seconds;2. Cole Smith, Stephenville, Texas/Reed Boos, White Cloud, Kan. 4.9; 3. Koby Sanchez, Ethel, La./Trace Porter, Leesville, La. 5.1; 4. (tie) Bart Brunson, Terry, Miss./Cole Walker, Sparta, Tenn. and Lane Webb, Lipan, Texas/Bryson Tays, Crossville, Tenn. 5.2 each; 6. (tie) Dillon Green, Pine Grove, La./Dusty Purvis, Independence, La. and Clint Keller, Winston Salem, N.C./Michael Jones, Town Creek, Ala. 5.3 each; 8. Carson Coffelt, Ponce De Leon, Mo./Clay Clayman, Highlandville, Mo. 5.5; 9. Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, Tenn./Chase Graves, Poplarville, Miss. 5.8; 10. Wyatt Allen, Dadeville, Ala./Kyle Lawrence, Andalusia, Ala. 5.9.
Saddle bronc riding
1. Kody Rinehart, Rienzi, Miss. 83.5 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Muddy Boy; 2. Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La. 82.5; 3. Treyson Antonick, Overton, Texas 82; 4. (tie) Jack Smithson, Springfield, Tenn., Drew Bordelon, Ville Platte, La., Parker Kempfer, Deer Park, Fla. and Tyler Freeman, Cadiz, Ky. 81 each; 8. Jake Barnes, Stephenville, Texas 80.5.
Tie-down roping
1. Andrew Burks, Kiln, Miss. 8.3 seconds; 2. Riley Istre, Vinton, La. 9.3; 3. (tie) Clint Southworth, Bagdad, Ky. and Coltin Rauch, Herrick, Ill. 9.5; 5. Glenn Jackson, Okmulgee, Okla. 9.7; 6. Corey Owens, Fayette, Ala. 9.8; 7. Marcus Theriot, Lumberton, Miss. 10.1; 8. Lane Webb, Lipan, Texas 10.3.
Barrel racing
1. Sally Young, Micanopy, Fla. 17.12; 2. Ashley Parks, Dania Beach, Fla. 17.20; 3. Austyn Tobey, Bemidji, Minn. 17.33; 4. Shelby Anderson, Foley, Ala. 17.38; 5. Kalgary Johns, Okeechobee, Fla. 17.51; 6. Conny Winkers, Woodman, Wisc. 17.57; 7. Brooke Pope, Westville, Fla. 17.61; 8. Chelsie Stodghill, Franklin, Tenn. 17.64; 9. Aubrey Sprouse, Lilbourn, Mo. 17.65; 10. Casey Mathis, Bastrop, La. 17.71.
Bull riding
1. Jace Trosclair, Chauvin, La. 87 points on Hi Lo Rodeo’s Lil Loco; 2. Creek Young, Rogersville, Mo. 86.5; 3. Denton Fugate, Ash Flat, Ark. 84.5; 4. Bubba Greig, Estherville, Iowa 81; 5. Colton Byram, Mound City, Kan. 77; 6. Hudson Bolton, Milan, Tenn. 67.5; no other qualified rides.
All results unofficial.
